flourishing
by esmeaplatt
Summary: "You're gifted." Carlisle said, watching her with wonder. "Like Edward."


flourishing

 **AN** : I am so sorry to all of the people that follow me for Castle content. The Twilight Renaissance got to me and I wrote this short ass fic.

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He stood by the window watching her. The sun was shining but the large privacy fence she'd bought and installed allowed her to bask in the rays without having to worry about human eyes. Her caramel hair was pulled back in a loose braid, falling over her shoulder and hanging down as she bent over the pile of dirt in front of her.

Esme had been excited to start their garden; the previous day they'd made their way to the local hardware, parking their car before walking into the store hand in hand. The months of being a newborn had been difficult but she felt more in control now. Carlisle could see it in the way she hunted, in the docile look in her eyes even as they took down a small herd of deer. They'd taken walks, he'd taken her to see humans, to speak with them. Esme was flourishing. She was more than ready for a trip to the store.

He'd helped her pick out different seeds, bags of soil, different colored pots. They'd bought paint and all kinds of other supplies. She'd charmed everyone at the little town's hardware store. He'd stood back, chuckling as the the teenaged boys working the counters bickered over who got to carry the heavy bags of dirt and pieces of wood for her. In the end, all three boys had grabbed something, following Esme out to the car and following her direction as to where the items should be placed in the back of their small automobile.

Now, he watched her as she bent over the dirt. He was envious of Edward's gift during moments such as these; he'd give anything for the ability to hear her thoughts. Whatever they were, they had to be good. She was smiling wider than he'd seen in a while, absolutely in her element. She was a farm girl at heart and their travel, bouncing from town to town while keeping her practically locked away as she worked through her newborn phase had taken its toll on her. Not so much that she'd ever taken it out on them, she'd never been anything but a bright light in his and Edward's life but this smile- this was different. The sparkle in her eyes rivaled that of her skin as she patted the pile of dirt before standing gracefully, zooming to the car to retrieve some more supplies.

Carlisle chuckled, turning from the window to let her work. He made his way through the house, past the living room where Edward was working on a new song and into his office. He took a seat in his desk chair, reaching for one of the medical files he'd brought home the night before. The hospital had been swamped. With summer in full swing, he'd treated too many reckless young people too count; broken bones and intense sunburns, intoxicated teenagers and overheated children who'd spent too much time playing outside.

He flipped one open and reached for a pen- a fourteen year old girl with a broken leg. It'd been an easy case, a clean break on a sweet patient that'd hardly cried. She was spirited, chattering with her mother as he'd set the cast. She'd reminded him of his Esme, of when he'd set her own broken leg over a decade ago. She hadn't cried either; she'd been embarrassed- that she, at age sixteen, had fallen from a tree, embarrassed that he'd had to come out to their farm house. He'd assured her that everything was fine, caoxing a smile out of her as he explained the many other broken bones he'd seen, bones that had been broken in ways that were far more silly than a fall from a tree. She'd even managed to make him laugh in the process.

Before his pen could even hit the paper, he head her coming. He could always tell in was her on the stairs- her steps were lighter than Edward's but faster, like she was in a hurry to get to him. Her scent flooded into the room before she did, the light vanilla smell of her perfume making him smile.

"Carlisle!" She rushed into the room, racing over to his desk and tugging him to his feet.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, his brow furrowing as he took in her frenzied state. Her eyes were wide, her hands still covered in dirt. He noticed she was wearing her shoes too, no doubt tracking dirt into the house- something she'd lectured him and Edward about multiple times.

"Come with me." Esme ordered, pulling him down the stairs and across the house.

Sometimes he forgot how strong she was. She was still a young vampire and that strength hadn't faded. She led him by hand into the backyard, over to where she'd spent the morning planting seeds. She dropped to her knees, bringing him with her. He huffed softly, he'd never get the grass stain out of his favorite pants.

"Look!" She pointed to the the green that was slowly poking through the dirt, growing larger by the second. He could see the movement beneath the soil, the roots spreading.

He watched in amazement as the stems formed, as leaves sprouted from the stalks. Tiny white flowers opened, their petals spreading as a strawberry pushed through from the middle.

"Are you…? How-"

"I don't know." She interrupted, her voice soft. She reached forward to pluck one of the strawberries from the plant. She moved the berry around in her palm, examining the piece of fruit. "I was sitting here...thinking about how long it would take for them to grow." Esme said, gesturing to the rows of fully grown plants in front of them. "I was feeling impatient. I'd always hated that part of gardening. Waiting. And then…"

"You're gifted." Carlisle said, watching her with wonder. "Like Edward."

"I'm- wow." Esme laughed, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. The garden continued to flourish, apples and cherry trees growing tall enough to shade them from the sun, carrots sprouting from their stalks, mushrooms pushing up through the soil.

Carlisle sat the strawberry aside, reaching out to wipe a smudge of dirt from her cheek, pulling her attention away from the garden. "I should have known. Our family has flourished since you joined us. It's only natural that this garden would too."

" _You_ are a sap, Dr. Cullen." She told him, dropping her hand from her mouth to wrap it around a piece of his scarf.

"As are you, Ms. Platt."

She hummed softly in response, turning her attention back to the garden. "I need a basket and a ride to the food bank."

"I believe I can provide both."

"Wonderful." She replied with a smile, leaning forward to begin their harvest.

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 **AN** : It has been so long since I've read or watched this series I apologize for any mistakes because of this. This comes from a post I made on Tumblr about how weak smeyer is weak for not making esme gifted.


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